Death before my eyes

It was early when Iroh and Hilda's sisters woke, but late when Zuko woke.But even though Hilda was awake longer than everyone else that night, she still woke up early. Though not by choise. She had another dream. This time, everyone was shot with an arrow. Blood all over the trees of a forest and on the ground. Dead bodies. She woke up in a panic. Hilda trembled at the thought. This one felt closer and more likely to happen. She just had this feeling that isnt possable to discribe. She felt helpless. Like a new born kitten. Unable to fight for herself. Even though when she told everyone, they assured her nothing would happen to them. She protested and said that she had a feeling that something was going to happen and that they should leave. But they just said that she was probably just rattled and should just relax. She grew fustraited and angry. No one would believe what she was saying and they would all end up dead.Zuko woke to the sound of her yelling protest. They calmed her down and tried again to assure her nothing would happen. She told them that she had this weird feeling in the back of her mind telling her they should leave A.S.A.P But Violet and Ashli wanted to get some stuff from the market before leaving. Hilda sighed and told them they couldnt.

"Calm down Miss.Hilda. I'll take them to the market to buy what they want and you can just relax. Your probably just stressed." Iroh told her. Once he had finished that statement, he took Ashli and Violet to the market. Zuko stood there with her.

"Hilda. You seem to be...insane." Zuko told her point blank. He felt her grab onto his hand.

"Please. You have to believe me. If no one else does I want at least you Zuko to believe me. I don't want everyone to think im insane." She wept to him. He put his arm without the hand over her shoulders and pulled her into a hug.

"Hilda. Its not that I don't know your dreams are scareing you. But Uncle, your sisters and I arn't dieing." Zuko told her kindly, She pushed him away from her when he finished saying that.

"Not yet!" Hilda hissed. Zuko saw her stand up. The gold dress that she was suppost to be married in was cut into a medium long skirt and a strapless tank top. She just sat back down on the bed and trembled. "Why won't anyone believe me...?" Zuko placed his arm over her again. Trying to get her to smile at least alittle.

"Its just, dreams don't usually say when someone is going to die." Zuko told her she just grabbed onto him and kept him in a hug.

"You say that but you don't know for sure do you. Zuko if you really care about me like you keep showing. You have to believe me and please, lets go get your uncle and my sisters and leave." Zuko placed a hand on her face and caressed it.

"Hilda, even if your dreams are telling you that, you know that running away from fate isnt ever going to work." Zuko told her. She nodded in understandment.

"I know." She managed to force a little laugh. "I couldn't get away from you now could I?" Zuko smiled and shook his head.

They left the clinic after that and walked through the forest after telling Iroh where they would be. They enterd the forest and from behind them, stood Hilda's old friend. He was a rather tall man. Muscular like Zuko and dressed in a mucle shirt and jeans. He had short brown hair and a sexy face.

"Are you the man who stole away my Hilda?" He asked Zuko bitterly. Zuko rose an eyebrow.

"Stole your Hilda?" Zuko questioned, looking at Hilda from the corner of his eye.

"I told you Andie. I don't, nor will I ever, have feelings for you." She barked at him. He drew a bow and arrow.

"Well then.If I can't have you, no one can." He told her, aiming the arrow for Zuko. Hilda stood infrount of Zuko.

"You kill him, and I will kill you." She barked at him, that didnt stop him, From the shadows of the forest came out two other men. Who grabbed Hilda's arms and held her back. While Andie aimed the arrow for Zuko, pulled back and let it fly. Zuko's arm got peirced with the arrow. Hilda screamed and tried to fight her way from the men so she could save Zuko. Tears streaming. "Stop it Andie! Don't kill him! I'll date you! Just don't kill him!" With that, Andie nodded and his friends let her go. Zuko wanted to go and stop this. But Hilda told him that she would be okay. Andie put his arms around her and pulled her into an embrace. She truly liked Zuko's embrace better. She knew what she had to do was right. Right? No, no it wasnt. Zuko was okay, but now that she wasnt held back by Andie's friends, she pushed him away and grabbed Zuko's hand, pulled him onto her back and ran from them. Flipping Andie off. Zuko lied his head on the back of Hilda's neck, growing weaker. That one arrow had drained alot of blood from his arm. He could hear Hilda telling him to stay alive alittle longer. He had never feared death before, not untill now. He was worried. What would Hilda, her sisters, and his uncle Iroh do if he died? Iroh didnt know that Zuko had promised his home to Hilda if he was able to give it to her. The sounds of Hilda's pleeds grew faint. He could never die happy untill Hilda knew. Untill she knew his thoughts of her. How he felt about her. So with his last ounce of breath. He whisperd the words he would never say in the company of others.

"Hilda..I love you." Once he finished the you. He passed out. Hilda had heard him clearly. But she was too focused on keeping him alive to think about what he said to her. She wasnt about to let him die. Not now and not ever. She ran into the hospital and demanded help. The nurse nodded and took Zuko into the room where a docter would take care of him. Hilda had his hand over her's untill it slipped away. She found herself crying. He was what helped her do the things she never thought she could do before. Like love someone. She wasnt about to let him die. She let her parents die because she was scared. But she wasnt about to repete her actions, no, not when this all could be prevented. Iroh and Hilda's sisters ran in after hearing the news.Her sisters stood beside Hilda while Iroh tried to figure out what was going on with his nephew. When he asked Hilda what happend, she was silent. How could she say that he was probably going to die from trying to protect her? Of course, keeping silent wasnt going to help much either. So she just had to say it.

"He got shot in the arm with an arrow." She told him point blank. A quiver in her voice. "Just.Like.In.My.Dream."

"Is he going to be alright?" Iroh asked her. She was quiet.

"I don't know yet. I got him here as fast as I could." She informed him, Iroh sat silently next to her. Violet and Ashli were playing with the new toys Iroh bought them. There was a while of silence.Hilda felt it was her fault this all happend. She didnt know what she would do if he died. She would have to live with the guilt. It would eat away at her untill she went insane. She felt Iroh's hand on her shoulder after she noticed she started to cry.

"Hilda, im sure he will be okay." Iroh said to her comfertably. Her flesh crawled.

"I don't know how I can believe that so confadently. I was too weak to save my parents, but I swore I won't ever let that happen again.If he dies I will have broken my promise and I would have been too weak all over again." she told him, supressing her tears.

"you did what you could.Prince Zuko knows that. Im sure of it." Iroh said to her, trying to comfert her again.

"I hope so." She told him under her breath. The guilt rising in her heart even more. Would Zuko be alright? Does he really know she did the best she could? Or could she have done better? Was there something that she could have done better? That just caused the guilt to rise faster. If he was to be alright. She didn't know if he would still love her like he said he did. She had never worried this much about anything. Or anyone.